


Washed Away And On The Ropes

by MysticalAuthoress



Series: Trials of the Wild [8]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Yakitate!! Japan
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Injury Recovery, Post-Breath of the Wild, Self-Esteem Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-12 15:07:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29511549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MysticalAuthoress/pseuds/MysticalAuthoress
Summary: Meister and Sidon take some time to recover from being swept downstream. Meanwhile, Shachioko gets a good talking-to while helping the others try to find the missing Zora Prince and General Manager of Pantasia.
Relationships: Meister Kirisaki & Prince Sidon, Shachioko & Teba
Series: Trials of the Wild [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2094270
Kudos: 3





	Washed Away And On The Ropes

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Yakitate! Japan or The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
> 
> This is yet another oneshot in the "Trials of the Wild" crossover series! If you haven't read at least "Blood Moon Rising," you might want to do so, since this oneshot directly follows after the events of that one. I hope that you enjoy reading it!
> 
> Also, two days ago it was the official 35th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda series, so HAPPY 35th ANNIVERSARY! Looking forward to see more from the games in the future, and the fanfics and fanart made as a result of this. XD

The first thing Meister Kirisaki was aware of was the sunlight in his eyes. He turned his head, grimacing lightly at the feeling of wet grass sticking to his bare face, keeping his eyes shut to block out the light.

The sound of water lapping against the shore eventually persuaded him to open both eyes. He realized he lay on his back, staring at the water lapping at the gravel-filled shore from the corner of his eye, but the area he lay on was mostly grass and/or sand. As he sat up, he noticed a red Zora (Mipha? No, too tall, _Sidon_ ) emerge from the water nearby, before a gasp left him.

"Oh.." The Zora came closer to Meister, eyes wide and relieved. "You're awake! Thank goodness! I hope you're feeling alright. It took me a while to find a safe shore for the both of us, with all the monsters and so on. You lost consciousness while we were in the water, so I was very worried for you."

"I did?" Meister closed his eyes briefly, trying to remember the previous night. The skeletons, rising from the ground. A club headed in his direction. Hitting the water, struggling to surface…it all came back to him now, accompanied with a shudder afterwards. "I remember now."

Which meant that had Sidon not went after him and got him to shore, he likely would be dead by now. The General Manager of Pantasia never thought his life could end that way, but the fact that it almost happened now changed that view.

"Thank you," He managed, looking Sidon in the eye, "For rescuing me. I don't know what would've happened without you looking after me." He winced at how hoarse he sounded.

"I'm just glad that you're still alive." Sidon managed, smiling at him. It was a lighter smile than usual, but still held the same amount of optimism that he usually had in him. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore, but fine. Now that I know what happened…" He looked around, moving to sit up. He winced lightly, realizing how sore his back was, but Sidon was quick to help him. There was almost nothing but water as far as the eye could see, at first, before he noticed some grassy hills some distance away from where they were. "Where are we, exactly?" This definitely wasn't the camp where he once was, last night.

"We're at Lake Hylia. By the time I caught up with you, the currents took us downstream, and I had no choice but to let them carry the both of us. On top of that, there were monsters pursuing us, so that hastened our journey down here. They're gone now." Sidon explained, while helping him sit up. "The good news is, however, that the Blood Moon is over. It won't appear again for some time, so we won't have more surprise attacks like last night."

"I see." That explained why they were on such a tiny island, compared to all the water around them. "Where are the others…?"

"I don't know." He noticed Sidon frown. "I went straight into the water after you. I told my sister Mipha to stay with the others, but I don't know if they're still at the same location as we were before we both went downstream, or if they decided to try to find us."

"I'm sure they're looking for us." Meister managed. He looked around, before noticing the shattered remains of his titanium mask, swallowing. "That…"

"It broke. I believe you hit your head at some point in the currents, likely on the side of your face." He looked up at the Zora Prince to notice his guilty expression as he spoke. "I grabbed all the pieces I could find from the water, after getting you to shore here and making sure you were still alive, but I'm afraid it's beyond repair." Sidon's gaze narrowed slightly, studying the General Manager's face. "It didn't leave any scars on your face, if you're worried about that."

"It's okay." Meister offered him a reassuring smile, pushing a few bangs out of his face. "I'm just grateful you saved my life. Besides, I can always get a new mask at some point."

"I assume that mask was important to you."

Meister nodded. "It is." He admitted. "I wear that as part of my work clothes, as General Manager. Getting the customers' attention helps keep sales up…even if I rarely appear in person, publicly."

"Really?" Sidon's eyes flashed, wonder filling his irises. "That's fascinating. Perhaps I can…" He paused, before shaking his head. "Well, since you're awake, we should focus on making something to eat, first. I retrieved some fish from the lake, so we just need to make a fire…"

Meister looked around, before wincing lightly. "We…don't have supplies, do we?"

"I have some flint, but it's wet from all the swimming." Sidon admitted. A sheepish expression laced the Prince's face. "As for wood, I have none. I used mine all up last night with the fire."

"Then…" Meister looked around, before noticing a few trees on a nearby island. "Maybe we can chop a couple branches from there, and make a fire with it?"

"I don't see why not." Sidon smiled. "Just stay right here! I'll be back with wood soon."

"Are you sure you don't need my help?" The General Manager asked. He tried to stand, but winced at the soreness permeating his entire being in general.

Sidon shook his head, and as he looked him in the eyes, he offered him a soft, reassuring smile. "I will be fine, but thank you. Please, allow me to take care of you. I'll be back soon!"

With that, Sidon leapt into the water, heading straight for the island with the trees. Meister knew that all he could do, right now, was just sit, watch, and wait.

* * *

The entire party of currently-twelve were in a frenzy, trying to make it all the way down to Lake Hylia as fast as they could. At least they had some idea of where Sidon and Meister possibly were after all that fighting during the Blood Moon, which was good, but they were also worried about losing more of their own numbers.

"I can't believe you did that."

Surprisingly for Shachioko, that statement didn't come from Revali, but _Teba_. The white Rito hung back by Shachioko's side, behind the others walking.

"Defending your allies is a boon to them. But when it comes to self-preservation, you need to be more careful." Teba warned.

"Kind-of hard to do when you don't have a shield." Shachioko mumbled. He looked up ahead at Urbosa, who was talking with some of his fellow bakers, before looking towards Teba again. "I get it. It was stupid, I won't do it again, and it was entirely reckless and idiotic."

Teba was quiet for a moment. Shachioko wondered if the older Rito thought of him as being plain silly at this point.

"My question is," Teba finally spoke up, "Why did you do it?"

Shachioko frowned. "Why did I do what?"

"Throw yourself in the way of that arrow."

Shachioko swallowed. The whole battle was a blur looking back on it now, but he still remembered how he felt in those moments. Worry. Fear. Trying to keep up. The arrow. Screaming.

Getting hit.

All the screaming afterwards.

Shachioko shuddered, but he managed to say something, despite the recollection flooding his mind.

"I just feel like…everyone's contributing in some way. You _saw_ the whole battle just earlier!" Shachioko gestured to everyone else, shaking his head lightly. "I mean, Urbosa could handle a lot of things with her lightning stuff. Meister's learned to use a bow from Revali. Even Kawachi's better at swordfighting than me, and Monica and Kuroyanagi figured out their own fighting styles, too. And Kai's _a literal swordsman_ , even before we ended up in Hyrule. Out of everyone here I just…fall short."

"Is that why you used yourself as a human shield for Urbosa?" Teba questioned. "Because you thought you 'fell short' of everyone else so much that you thought it was best to throw yourself away?"

"It wasn't _that!"_ He protested. That hadn't been the reason in the moment, at least. "I just wanted to protect her at the time. I mean, she'd probably be able to recover just fine if it didn't hit any vital areas, but _I_ didn't want her to get hurt. She's…" A sigh left him, before he swallowed. "She's protected me this whole time, Teba. I wanted to do the same for her."

"Hm."

"I know. Probably stupid. Should've just yelled at her to be careful. Or, I don't know, have an actual shield on me if I was doing what I did?" A sheepish chuckle left him, and he averted his gaze from Teba's own. "I just thought…it didn't seem fair that she and the others were doing all the work."

"What you did was reckless." Teba spoke, after a moment. "But it does certainly explain why you did that. In a way…" He paused, before a short sigh left him, "You remind me of myself."

"What? _You?"_ Shachioko stared at him. "Seriously?"

Teba simply nodded, before explaining. "You probably don't know this, but before Calamity Ganon was defeated, he took control of the Divine Beasts. Each of the Champions were supposed to pilot one, but they fell to Ganon's Blights. The Blights consequently took over the Divine Beasts, and one of them, Vah Medoh killed Master Revali and terrorized Rito Village and its surroundings. Before Link came and appeased Medoh and destroyed the Blight within it, thus saving Master Revali, me and a friend of mine, Harth, tried to take down Medoh ourselves."

"You did what!?" His jaw dropped. "H-how did that go?"

" _Terribly._ We didn't realize it would try to attack us if we got too close. Harth was injured in the process."

"O-oh. I'm sorry about that. Is he okay?"

"He's recovered by now." Teba reassured him. "I later helped Link get into Medoh. I would've went with him, but I was injured by Medoh, so I had no choice but to retreat."

Shachioko sucked in a breath. "And…you're okay, I guess?"

"I was. It wasn't the recovery that got to me, though. It was how worried everyone else was." A soft sigh left Teba. "When I fought Medoh with both Harth and later with Link, all I thought at the time was the safety of my village. And my family, too. What mattered to me most was ensuring their safety. But I realized, after my injury, after everyone was so worried…that I needed to take care of myself, too."

Shachioko had to let that sink in. He supposed constantly trying to do things for others would wear oneself down. He knew himself that he did a lot of things for his teammates, even at the expense of his own sake. Joining the American team in the Monaco Cup hadn't made him look the greatest at Pantasia afterwards, especially considering that the American team was sponsored by St. Pierre. But at the same time, he'd wanted to make his fellow Americans proud and teach them how to properly bake…even if it led to their skills surpassing his. He hadn't been too proud of his third-placing rank in the semifinals, and he'd lost to Kawachi. He knew, at the back of his mind that he probably could have won if he spent more time perfecting his own techniques than making sure Monica and Shadow could bake well (not that they needed too much guidance, anyway).

He paused, looking up at Teba, before asking, "Do you ever…regret it?" He asked. "Doing stuff for others at the really-obvious expense of yourself?"

"Don't get me wrong." Teba managed, shaking his head. "I'd still gladly fight for Master Revali, Sylvan and the others. And if Rito Village or my family ever got into danger, I'd fight for them in a heartbeat, no matter how dangerous it was. Even now, I'm still training every day to stay prepared. But, I know too well now there are people that care about me. Being injured from fighting Medoh taught me that there are only so many battles I can fight for others before it wears me down. And there's more ways than one to solve a problem. You just need to pick your battles carefully."

Now that Teba pointed it out, Shachioko paused, thinking a bit more. He supposed that he could have shouted to Urbosa to be careful. Or at least maybe grab a shield off a downed Bokoblin or something before running in. He had been lucky to just be shot in the shoulder, and nowhere vital at the time. And he doubted that any of his friends and coworkers would be pleased by his demise.

"So," Shachioko concluded, looking up at him, "Don't throw myself in the line of fire again without thinking first?"

"Whatever style of combat or defense you find works for you best in the long run, it's fine as long as you know what you're doing and what risks you're taking to not just your friends, but _also_ for yourself." Teba managed, before finishing, "Just don't make yourself a human shield again without thinking. I don't think your friends want that."

A sheepish laugh escaped Shachioko, and he nodded. "I'll make a note of that."

* * *

Sidon recovered the wood with no worries at all. In fact, he and Meister managed to get a fire going. Soon enough, they had roasted fish for breakfast, skewered on branches. Sidon bit into his skewer of fish; it was a bit bland, and probably needed more salt, but at least it was edible.

"I'm sure it's not very good." Sidon offered Meister an awkward grin. After all, the man was a baker; he probably had culinary experience in some other areas. "I apologize, but this was the best I could do with such limited ingredients." In all honesty, he knew he was better at cooking than this. Even if he was the Zora Prince and easily could have dinners with his father, sister, and other royal subjects, he still learned a bit of cooking for the sake of it. Fighting, too.

"If it reassures you, the fish is properly cooked." Meister managed, offering him a soft smile. "Thank you, Sidon."

Ah, good. He was happy. Sidon was glad to see that. He knew that the other man hadn't been too pleased by how injured he was, and while making the fire earlier, he tried insisting on helping Sidon. But Sidon wasn't about to let Meister hurt himself, and the man needed a lot more rest after the rough battle and nearly drowning on top of that.

"It's no problem at all." Sidon smiled. He felt the need to be strong right now, to reassure the other that things would be fine. It wouldn't do either of them good if they gave into despair. He was optimistic that their friends would find them, or they'd run into said friends. As long as they reunited and made it to Hyrule Castle, things would be fine.

Meister paused, looking up at Sidon. He then swallowed lightly, before speaking. "I was wondering if we could talk. About last night."

Sidon froze. Had Meister been _awake_ when he went to sleep beside him last night? "I-if it's about me sleeping so close to you, I apologize. I was simply trying to make sure you stayed warm with body heat, so you didn't catch a cold after being in the river so long, and…"

"Oh, no, it's not that." Meister quickly blurted out, shaking his head. "I mean, I did regain consciousness briefly last night, but you were already unconscious and I didn't want to just shove you off me."

"I rolled _on top of you!?"_ Pure horror crept into Sidon's heart. "I didn't mean to crush you, I apologize!"

"No, it was just your arm slung around me…"

"Still, I am very sorry if you didn't want that body contact. I only meant for you to stay well, and…"

A soft chuckle left Meister at that. "I just wanted to let you know that your consideration for me is appreciated. Including the body contact. I don't think it would do our friends well if one of us caught a cold or, worse, pneumonia."

Sidon smiled and tried not to wince as he put his now-empty skewer down, feeling how coarse the now-dried bandage was around his upper left arm. It wasn't really much of a bandage; Sidon had cleaned the wound as best as he could after he and Meister initially got to shore post-being-chased-by-monsters before wrapping it with the then-wet bandages. He'd hoped not to bring any attention to the wound right now, though.

"Sidon?" Meister's gaze narrowed on the bandages around Sidon's arm. "Did you…get injured?"

Sidon tried to cover it with the shoulder-covering apparel he wore, but it was too late to hide it. "Just a mere scratch." He managed. "It's the worst of any of the wounds, but I'm sure it's mostly healed by now."

"You have multiple wounds?" He saw the other's eyes widen. "Sidon, I could have helped…"

"It's okay, really!" Sidon tried butting in, shaking his head as Meister quickly finished his fish skewer to get closer to him, likely to examine him for injuries. "The rest were merely minor scratches and bruises. This is the worst of them, I assure you, and it is of little trouble to me."

"Let me examine it. Please?" He saw the other's gaze stay worried, and Sidon sucked in a slow breath. "You helped me. It's only fair that I try to do the same for you. I have some training in tending to minor wounds, if that helps."

Sidon exhaled. If it would help the other man stay calm, he supposed it wouldn't hurt. "Very well." He managed. "It wouldn't hurt to give it a look-over in case." Besides, it would be unfortunate if the wound was infected. Normally, Mipha probably could have healed the wound, or they'd have proper salve or some sort of medication on hand. Given the washed-away-supplies situation and the fact that they were separated from their friends, Sidon wasn't sure how it was despite his best efforts, earlier.

Meister undid the cloth bandage carefully, before inspecting it. Sidon winced lightly at first, feeling the other's warm fingers against where the cut was.

"Well," Meister managed after a moment, "It does like it's mostly healed naturally. It wasn't a deep wound, was it?"

"No." Sidon affirmed. "It was literally just a scratch. Likely from one of the Lizalfos we escaped from. They pursued us in the water for a while."

"That's good." A relieved sigh left the General Manager of Pantasia ( _Such a fun name for a bakery!_ Sidon thought when he first heard about it from Monica and Kuroyanagi) as he looked up at Sidon, and Sidon stared right back at him, quiet. The Zora Prince had never seen Meister's actual face until now. He didn't understand the need for Meister to cover his face, honestly. For protection, Sidon guessed, and as a way to look mysterious and draw attention for the sake of Pantasia, as Meister mentioned earlier, but it was just so _interesting._

"Sidon?"

Sidon blinked out of his train of thought as Meister spoke up again. "Yes?"

"You've been staring at me for a full minute." A slight chuckle left the other's lips. "Do I really look _that_ odd to you without a mask?"

"Oh, no! Not at all!" Sidon fought the urge to immediately avert his gaze from Mesiter completely, though he did look away briefly for a moment, face flushing lightly. "I apologize. I didn't mean to make you feel so awkward. I just realized I'd never…seen your face so close and exposed, up until now."

"Really?" Meister pushed a few strands of blond hair out of his face, and Sidon found it hard not to look at him. "Does this help?"

"Well…"

" _Sidon!"_

Sidon wasn't sure if he should be grateful for hearing his sister Mipha call out to him.

* * *

The two turned to see none other than Mipha swimming over to them. As she got to shore, Sidon ran over to her, Meister following as fast as he could…which wasn't much, given how sore he was, but at least he caught up to them as Mipha fully got on shore, standing to face them properly.

"Princess Mipha." Meister breathed, noticing her half-worried, half-relieved eyes. "Are you okay?"

Mipha nodded quickly. "I am fine. I just went ahead of the others when I noticed the both of you here." She managed, before looking between her brother and the General Manager. "Are you both alright?"

"I am fine, sister. Just a few cuts, but nothing I can't handle." Sidon reassured her, before looking towards Meister. "You may need to look him over once, though. I took care of him as well as I could, but I know he likely bumped his head when we were in the currents…"

"I see." Meister let Mipha get close to him, examining him. "Does anything hurt or remain sore?"

"Mostly my back," Meister admitted, "But I think it's just from how I flailed around in the river a lot. My head feels fine by now, though."

A warmth spread across his lower back, and the pain went away. Meister exhaled slowly, looking towards Mipha, who looked back at him with a soft gaze.

"I hope that alleviated your pain enough, for now. When we get to the castle, we should have you looked over in case, for additional injuries." Mipha managed. "It's a miracle you weren't hurt worse."

"I agree." He managed sheepishly. He could've been dead by now, if no one saved him. "It's thanks to Sidon that we're both still breathing."

Mipha smiled, then stared up at Meister briefly. "Oh? Where's your mask…?"

"It broke." Sidon managed sheepishly, and Mipha looked towards him as he explained. "I believe it happened when he bumped his head at some point, earlier. I have most of the pieces, but it's beyond repair."

"I see." She looked towards Meister, frowning lightly. "I'm sorry that your mask was broken. And I'm sorry you were injured."

"No need to apologize." Meister managed, "It's not your fault."

"We promised to protect you and your friends. For us to fail in that…"

"But you didn't. Sidon saved me." He offered her a reassuring smile as best as he could. "If it wasn't for him, I'd definitely be dead, but…he saved me, and that's all there is to it. You have no need to apologize."

"Are all of you finished over there, or are you going to keep us _waiting?"_ The three turned to see none other than Revali, who floated above them. The Rito Champion also had Teba flying by his side. Meister guessed that the two also went ahead after Mipha to scout.

"We're ready to rejoin the others." Sidon responded, looking up at both Rito with a smile.

* * *

Because they didn't want Meister to get wet on the way back to joining the others, Teba offered to let Meister fly on his back. The Rito's wings were fluffy; Meister suspected such just from looking at him, but this was the first time he ever rode on his back.

"Glad that you're safe." Meister heard Teba mutter, while flying him to the edge of the lake, where everyone else waited. "Everyone was worried."

"I imagine they were." Meister admitted, looking towards the older Rito. "I'm sorry for worrying all of you."

Teba let Meister off his back after making it back to the others, and the General Manager of Pantasia was soon bombarded by his coworkers and friends over his safety and wellbeing. It took him a while to reassure them, as they soon resumed their journey, that he was fine, but they eventually settled down a little bit.

"I'm kinda jealous, honestly." Meister overheard Kawachi speak up. "You got to ride on Sidon in the water _and_ fly over here with Teba!"

The General Manager of Pantasia chuckled lightly as he looked towards the other. "If you ever get the chance, I hope it's not because you fell into the river by accident. And to be fair, I don't remember much of riding Sidon in the water, since I lost consciousness partway through."

He did remember a few things, though: Hearing the Zora Prince's voice, urging him to keep holding onto him, pleading for him to stay with him. He knew that Sidon was kind and encouraging, from what he heard from Kuroyanagi and Monica before all of this, but hearing of and actually being in the midst of it all were two very different things.

He appreciated the care and consideration. And the way Sidon stared at him, though awkwardly, was oddly adorable. Meister couldn't help but smile lightly at that, glancing up ahead at Sidon, who currently spoke with Mipha and some of the others. He saw the Zora Prince briefly glance up towards him, and their eyes met. The General Manager offered him a smile, and Sidon smiled back, before they looked away from each other, focusing on their conversations with the others.

At the very least, Meister figured, even with the loss of supplies on his and Sidon's ends, at least they were back with their friends. And he was grateful for Sidon helping him, too. He just hoped he could do the same for him.


End file.
